Wage theft bill headed to House floor

A bill that would outlaw new “wage theft” ordinances—similar
to the one in Miami-Dade
County—is headed to the
House floor after a partyline vote in its final committee.

The vote came on the same day that employee activists called
a press conference to protest the bill as an anti-worker intrusion on local
government.

Proponents called it a way to create a statewide solution to
the problem of wage theft, or employers not compensating their workers. That solution encourages the worker to take the case to small claims court, rather than county-based programs established by ordinance.

The bill, HB 1125, is the latest in a multiyear attempt by
the business lobby to outlaw local laws that govern the act of “wage theft,” or
employers refusing to pay employees. The push has failed in previous years, and
a judge upheld Miami-Dade’s program last year.

Miami-Dade
County created a program
in 2010 to address wage theft, launching an administrative process that helps
employees recover lost wages from their employers. The program has recovered
hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid wages since it was created via
ordinance in 2010.

In Miami-Dade and Broward
County, the bill would leave
the ordinances intact. Any counties looking to enact wage theft ordinances in
the future—including Alachua
County—would be banned
from doing so in the future.

The bill would force victims of wage theft to take their case to civil court,
after giving their employer a “demand letter,” allowing them 15 days to pay the
disputed amount. Courts could only award “economic damages,” and awards for punitive
damages or repayment for attorneys fees would be prohibited. The bill also
reduces the statute of limitations for wage theft claims from two years to one
year.